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Grula CC, Rinehart JD, Anacleto A, Kittilson JD, Heidinger BJ, Greenlee KJ, Rinehart JP, Bowsher JH. Telomere length is longer following diapause in two solitary bee species. Sci Rep 2024; 14:11208. [PMID: 38755232 PMCID: PMC11099051 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-61613-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/09/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024] Open
Abstract
The mechanisms that underlie senescence are not well understood in insects. Telomeres are conserved repetitive sequences at chromosome ends that protect DNA during replication. In many vertebrates, telomeres shorten during cell division and in response to stress and are often used as a cellular marker of senescence. However, little is known about telomere dynamics across the lifespan in invertebrates. We measured telomere length in larvae, prepupae, pupae, and adults of two species of solitary bees, Osmia lignaria and Megachile rotundata. Contrary to our predictions, telomere length was longer in later developmental stages in both O. lignaria and M. rotundata. Longer telomeres occurred after emergence from diapause, which is a physiological state with increased tolerance to stress. In O. lignaria, telomeres were longer in adults when they emerged following diapause. In M. rotundata, telomeres were longer in the pupal stage and subsequent adult stage, which occurs after prepupal diapause. In both species, telomere length did not change during the 8 months of diapause. Telomere length did not differ by mass similarly across species or sex. We also did not see a difference in telomere length after adult O. lignaria were exposed to a nutritional stress, nor did length change during their adult lifespan. Taken together, these results suggest that telomere dynamics in solitary bees differ from what is commonly reported in vertebrates and suggest that insect diapause may influence telomere dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Courtney C Grula
- Insect Genetics and Biochemistry Edward T. Schafer Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Center, 1616 Albrecht Boulevard, Fargo, ND, 58102, USA.
| | - Joshua D Rinehart
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, 1340 Bolley Drive, 218 Stevens Hall, Fargo, ND, 58102, USA
| | - Angelo Anacleto
- Department of Molecular and Integrative Physiology, University of Michigan Medical School, 1137 E. Catherine St., Ann Arbor, MI, 48109, USA
| | - Jeffrey D Kittilson
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, 1340 Bolley Drive, 218 Stevens Hall, Fargo, ND, 58102, USA
| | - Britt J Heidinger
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, 1340 Bolley Drive, 218 Stevens Hall, Fargo, ND, 58102, USA
| | - Kendra J Greenlee
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, 1340 Bolley Drive, 218 Stevens Hall, Fargo, ND, 58102, USA
| | - Joseph P Rinehart
- Insect Genetics and Biochemistry Edward T. Schafer Research Center, U.S. Department of Agriculture/Agricultural Research Center, 1616 Albrecht Boulevard, Fargo, ND, 58102, USA
| | - Julia H Bowsher
- Department of Biological Sciences, North Dakota State University, 1340 Bolley Drive, 218 Stevens Hall, Fargo, ND, 58102, USA
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Lunghi E, Bilandžija H. Telomere length and dynamics in Astyanax mexicanus cave and surface morphs. PeerJ 2024; 12:e16957. [PMID: 38435987 PMCID: PMC10908260 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16957] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2023] [Accepted: 01/25/2024] [Indexed: 03/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Background Telomeres are non-coding DNA repeats at the chromosome ends and their shortening is considered one of the major causes of aging. However, they also serve as a biomarker of environmental exposures and their length and attrition is affected by various stressors. In this study, we examined the average telomere length in Astyanax mexicanus, a species that has both surface-dwelling and cave-adapted populations. The cave morph descended from surface ancestors and adapted to a markedly different environment characterized by specific biotic and abiotic stressors, many of which are known to affect telomere length. Our objective was to explore whether telomere length differs between the two morphs and whether it serves as a biological marker of aging or correlates with the diverse environments the morphs are exposed to. Methods We compared telomere length and shortening between laboratory-reared Pachón cavefish and Rio Choy surface fish of A. mexicanus across different tissues and ages. Results Astyanax mexicanus surface fish exhibited longer average telomere length compared to cavefish. In addition, we did not observe telomere attrition in either cave or surface form as a result of aging in adults up to 9 years old, suggesting that efficient mechanisms prevent telomere-mediated senescence in laboratory stocks of this species, at least within this time frame. Our results suggest that telomere length in Astyanax may be considered a biomarker of environmental exposures. Cavefish may have evolved shorter and energetically less costly telomeres due to the absence of potential stressors known to affect surface species, such as predator pressure and ultra-violet radiation. This study provides the first insights into telomere dynamics in Astyanax morphs and suggests that shorter telomeres may have evolved as an adaptation to caves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Lunghi
- Department of Life, Health and Environmental Sciences, University of L’Aquila, L’Aquila, Italy
| | - Helena Bilandžija
- Division of Molecular Biology, Ruder Bošković Institute, Zagreb, Croatia
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Zavala-Paez M, Holliday J, Hamilton JA. Leveraging whole-genome sequencing to estimate telomere length in plants. Mol Ecol Resour 2024; 24:e13899. [PMID: 37966130 DOI: 10.1111/1755-0998.13899] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/01/2023] [Revised: 10/02/2023] [Accepted: 11/02/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023]
Abstract
Changes in telomere length are increasingly used to indicate species' response to environmental stress across diverse taxa. Despite this broad use, few studies have explored telomere length in plants. Thus, evaluation of new approaches for measuring telomeres in plants is needed. Rapid advances in sequencing approaches and bioinformatic tools now allow estimation of telomere content from whole-genome sequencing (WGS) data, a proxy for telomere length. While telomere content has been quantified extensively using quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and WGS in humans, no study to date has compared the effectiveness of WGS in estimating telomere length in plants relative to qPCR approaches. In this study, we use 100 Populus clones re-sequenced using short-read Illumina sequencing to quantify telomere length comparing three different bioinformatic approaches (Computel, K-seek and TRIP) in addition to qPCR. Overall, telomere length estimates varied across different bioinformatic approaches, but were highly correlated across methods for individual genotypes. A positive correlation was observed between WGS estimates and qPCR, however, Computel estimates exhibited the greatest correlation. Computel incorporates genome coverage into telomere length calculations, suggesting that genome coverage is likely important to telomere length quantification when using WGS data. Overall, telomere estimates from WGS provided greater precision and accuracy of telomere length estimates relative to qPCR. The findings suggest WGS is a promising approach for assessing telomere length and, as the field of telomere ecology evolves, may provide added value to assaying response to biotic and abiotic environments for plants needed to accelerate plant breeding and conservation management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Zavala-Paez
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
| | - Jason Holliday
- Department of Forest Resources and Environmental Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, Virginia, USA
| | - Jill A Hamilton
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, Pennsylvania State University, State College, Pennsylvania, USA
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Westneat DF, Young RC, Cones AG, Kucera AC, Anacleto A, Heidinger BJ. Early-life telomeres are influenced by environments acting at multiple temporal and spatial scales. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:5959-5970. [PMID: 37837282 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17166] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2023] [Revised: 09/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/03/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
An individual's telomere length early in life may reflect or contribute to key life-history processes sensitive to environmental variation. Yet, the relative importance of genetic and environmental factors in shaping early-life telomere length is not well understood as it requires samples collected from multiple generations with known developmental histories. We used a confirmed pedigree and conducted an animal model analysis of telomere lengths obtained from nestling house sparrows (Passer domesticus) sampled over a span of 22 years. We found significant additive genetic variation for early-life telomere length, but it comprised a small proportion (9%) of the total biological variation. Three sources of environmental variation were important: among cohorts, among-breeding attempts within years, and among nestmates. The magnitude of variation among breeding attempts and among nestmates also differed by cohort, suggesting that interactive effects of environmental factors across time or spatial scales were important, yet we were unable to identify the specific causes of these interactions. The mean amount of precipitation during the breeding season positively predicted telomere length, but neither weather during a given breeding attempt nor date in the breeding season contributed to an offspring's telomere length. At the level of individual nestlings, offspring sex, size and mass at 10 days of age also did not predict telomere length. Environmental effects appear especially important in shaping early-life telomere length in some species, and more focus on how environmental factors that interact across scales may help to explain some of the variation observed among studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- David F Westneat
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Rebecca C Young
- Department of Biology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, USA
| | - Alexandra G Cones
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, Kentucky, USA
| | - Aurelia C Kucera
- Department of Biology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, USA
| | - Angelo Anacleto
- Department of Biology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, USA
| | - Britt J Heidinger
- Department of Biology, North Dakota State University, Fargo, North Dakota, USA
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Ton R, Boner W, Raveh S, Monaghan P, Griffith SC. Effects of heat waves on telomere dynamics and parental brooding effort in nestlings of the zebra finch (Taeniopygia castanotis) transitioning from ectothermy to endothermy. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:4911-4920. [PMID: 37395529 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Revised: 06/16/2023] [Accepted: 06/20/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Heat waves are predicted to be detrimental for organismal physiology with costs for survival that could be reflected in markers of biological state such as telomeres. Changes in early life telomere dynamics driven by thermal stress are of particular interest during the early post-natal stages of altricial birds because nestlings quickly shift from being ectothermic to endothermic after hatching. Telomeres of ectothermic and endothermic organisms respond differently to environmental temperature, but few investigations within species that transition from ectothermy to endothermy are available. Also, ambient temperature influences parental brooding behaviour, which will alter the temperature experienced by offspring and thereby, potentially, their telomeres. We exposed zebra finch nestlings to experimental heat waves and compared their telomere dynamics to that of a control group at 5, 12 and 80 days of age that encapsulate the transition from the ectothermic to the endothermic thermoregulatory stage; we also recorded parental brooding, offspring sex, mass, growth rates, brood size and hatch order. Nestling mass showed an inverse relationship with telomere length, and nestlings exposed to heat waves showed lower telomere attrition during their first 12 days of life (ectothermic stage) compared to controls. Additionally, parents of heated broods reduced the time they spent brooding offspring (at 5 days old) compared to controls. Our results indicate that the effect of heat waves on telomere dynamics likely varies depending on age and thermoregulatory stage of the offspring in combination with parental brooding behaviour during growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Riccardo Ton
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Winnie Boner
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Shirley Raveh
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Pat Monaghan
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Simon C Griffith
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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Rieseberg L, Warschefsky E, Ortiz-Barrientos D, Kane NC, Thresher K, Sibbett B. Editorial 2023. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:1-25. [PMID: 36573261 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Monaghan P, Olsson M, Richardson DS, Verhulst S, Rogers SM. Integrating telomere biology into the ecology and evolution of natural populations: Progress and prospects. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:5909-5916. [PMID: 36330668 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16768] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/21/2022] [Revised: 11/02/2022] [Accepted: 11/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Pat Monaghan
- Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary and Life Sciences, Institute of Biodiversity, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Mats Olsson
- Department of BioEnv - Zoologen, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, Sweden
| | - David S Richardson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, Norwich, Norfolk, UK
| | - Simon Verhulst
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Sean M Rogers
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Bamfield Marine Sciences Centre, Bamfield, British Columbia, Canada
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Bauch C, Boonekamp JJ, Korsten P, Mulder E, Verhulst S. High heritability of telomere length and low heritability of telomere shortening in wild birds. Mol Ecol 2022; 31:6308-6323. [PMID: 34532917 PMCID: PMC9787985 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16183] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/16/2020] [Revised: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 01/31/2023]
Abstract
Telomere length and telomere shortening predict survival in many organisms. This raises the question of the contribution of genetic and environmental effects to variation in these traits, which is still poorly known, particularly for telomere shortening. We used experimental (cross-fostering) and statistical (quantitative genetic "animal models") means to disentangle and estimate genetic and environmental contributions to telomere length variation in pedigreed free-living jackdaws (Corvus monedula). Telomere length was measured twice in nestlings, at ages 4 (n = 715) and 29 days (n = 474), using telomere restriction fragment (TRF) analysis, adapted to exclude interstitial telomeric sequences. Telomere length shortened significantly over the nestling period (10.4 ± 0.3 bp day-1 ) and was highly phenotypically (rP = 0.95 ± 0.01) and genetically (rG > 0.99 ± 0.01) correlated within individuals. Additive genetic effects explained a major part of telomere length variation among individuals, with its heritability estimated at h2 = 0.74 on average. We note that TRF-based studies reported higher heritabilities than qPCR-based studies, and we discuss possible explanations. Parent-offspring regressions yielded similar heritability estimates for mothers and fathers when accounting for changes in paternal telomere length over life. Year effects explained a small but significant part of telomere length variation. Heritable variation for telomere shortening was low (h2 = 0.09 ± 0.11). The difference in heritability between telomere length (high) and telomere shortening (low) agrees with evolutionary theory, in that telomere shortening has stronger fitness consequences in this population. Despite the high heritability of telomere length, its evolvability, which scales the additive genetic variance by mean telomere length, was on average 0.48%. Hence, evolutionary change of telomere length due to selection is likely to be slow.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christina Bauch
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Jelle J. Boonekamp
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands,Present address:
Institute of Biodiversity Animal Health & Comparative MedicineCollege of Medical, Veterinary and Life SciencesUniversity of GlasgowGlasgowUK
| | - Peter Korsten
- Department of Animal BehaviourBielefeld UniversityBielefeldGermany
| | - Ellis Mulder
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
| | - Simon Verhulst
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningenThe Netherlands
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Pepke ML, Kvalnes T, Ranke PS, Araya‐Ajoy YG, Wright J, Sæther B, Jensen H, Ringsby TH. Causes and consequences of variation in early-life telomere length in a bird metapopulation. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e9144. [PMID: 35923948 PMCID: PMC9339764 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/07/2021] [Revised: 06/24/2022] [Accepted: 07/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022] Open
Abstract
Environmental conditions during early-life development can have lasting effects shaping individual heterogeneity in fitness and fitness-related traits. The length of telomeres, the DNA sequences protecting chromosome ends, may be affected by early-life conditions, and telomere length (TL) has been associated with individual performance within some wild animal populations. Thus, knowledge of the mechanisms that generate variation in TL, and the relationship between TL and fitness, is important in understanding the role of telomeres in ecology and life-history evolution. Here, we investigate how environmental conditions and morphological traits are associated with early-life blood TL and if TL predicts natal dispersal probability or components of fitness in 2746 wild house sparrow (Passer domesticus) nestlings from two populations sampled across 20 years (1994-2013). We retrieved weather data and we monitored population fluctuations, individual survival, and reproductive output using field observations and genetic pedigrees. We found a negative effect of population density on TL, but only in one of the populations. There was a curvilinear association between TL and the maximum daily North Atlantic Oscillation index during incubation, suggesting that there are optimal weather conditions that result in the longest TL. Dispersers tended to have shorter telomeres than non-dispersers. TL did not predict survival, but we found a tendency for individuals with short telomeres to have higher annual reproductive success. Our study showed how early-life TL is shaped by effects of growth, weather conditions, and population density, supporting that environmental stressors negatively affect TL in wild populations. In addition, shorter telomeres may be associated with a faster pace-of-life, as individuals with higher dispersal rates and annual reproduction tended to have shorter early-life TL.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Le Pepke
- Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD)Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
| | - Thomas Kvalnes
- Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD)Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
| | - Peter Sjolte Ranke
- Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD)Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
| | - Yimen G. Araya‐Ajoy
- Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD)Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
| | - Jonathan Wright
- Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD)Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
| | - Bernt‐Erik Sæther
- Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD)Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
| | - Henrik Jensen
- Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD)Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
| | - Thor Harald Ringsby
- Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD)Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU)TrondheimNorway
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